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This month, creator of Everybody Moon Jump, Dave Cave, started a grant for unemployed zinesters. Entitled Operation As Hot As Possible (AHAP) and offering $150 to the winning applicant, the grant’s requirements ask that creators strive to get “As Hot As Possible” (by their own standards) and write a zine about it. Broken Pencil spoke with Cave about his new initiative and what put this idea in his head.

Lindsay Gibb: What was the impetus for creating this grant?

Dave Cave: Lately (always?) the topic of privilege has been appearing in a lot of zines and within The Big City Asymetrical-Haircut Zine Community. To me, it turned into this giant pissing contest of who was aware of the most ways people are privileged, and I was like “Okay, but is anyone actually DOING anything about it?” I’m fortunate to be employed with extra income, so I decided to turn my privilege-guilt into a positive action instead of just sitting around and having inert discussions and showing off what I learned in my first year of university.
Operation AHAP is about action. How much action can you take in your life in three months to make yourself hotter/happier/healthier? My favourite zines are the motivational, get-shit-done zines, so this is also a way to encourage more [of those type of zines] to be published.

Also, I drank a lot of coffee one morning and sometimes my manic, scrambley ideas get really real, really fast. One time I had an espresso and accidentally bought a plane ticket to Dawson City.

L.G.: How will you be judging the candidates?

D.C.: I don’t know. This is a new process for me, and I’ll have to wait to see the submissions. I’m looking for people who have previously published a text heavy zine, who is ready to get well, and lays out an interesting plan [for] how they will spend the three months. I’m looking for writers who are not afraid to write about personal issues and lay out their secrets on paper. Negative points if you spell “dieing” instead of “dying”.

L.G.: Any tips for potential applicants?

D.C.: Don’t be terrible!

Also, can someone tell me how you can attach a document in blogger so people can download the form? Because right now I’m just having people email me and then I send them the form and I’ve only done it three times and I’m already tired. I tried to go into the tabs in blogger but I just started playing around with the colour scheme instead.

Remember to mail a copy of one of your zines with the form!

Stop jock hate!

For more information about how to submit visit Operation AHAP’s website. The deadline for submissions is May 15th, 2012.